King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and Family, General News, Part 2 (Sept. 2017 - present)

[leidi]

It's so nice that he remembers Baudouin, it's been 25 years (this summer) since he passed away and I think Philippe is grateful for his guidance and his example in his life

It's also very nice that the general public will be able to see the painting, since it will be exposed during the summer opening of the Royal Palace.

[wartenberg7]

I didn´ t know HM was such a skillfull painter!

[leidi]

Originally Posted by wartenberg7

I didn´ t know HM was such a skillfull painter!

Maybe he inherited that from his great-grandmother Elisabeth and his namesake daughter seems to be interested in painting as well!

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by eya

Two new photos of the family

https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn.n...c0&oe=5B86C1BB
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn.n...11&oe=5B8DF6D6

Very nice looking family as always. The children will soon become very eligible single people, especially Élisabeth and Gabriel.

Were the pictures taken at the Greenhouses of Laeken ?

[Hannelore]

It looks like they're part of a set that ws taken in the autumn of 2017: http://queenmathilde.blogspot.be/201...-16-today.html

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

Very nice looking family as always. The children will soon become very eligible single people, especially Élisabeth and Gabriel.

Luckily for them, the Belgian press seems to be exceedingly discreet on the subject of the royals' romantic lives. Wasn't Barbara Maselis the only girlfriend of Philippe whose name was leaked?

Originally Posted by Hannelore

Mathilde gave an interview to MO Magazine, a Belgian left-wing magazine that reports on global developments. It's about her work as an SDG advocate, but at the same time she reveals things about her own youth, her background, her children etc.

Mathilde really is a woman of substance, and this is quite an intersting read IMO: Queen Mathilde: "2030 is tomorrow. Change has to happen today"

You can see all of her SDG activities at this link - at least the ones that have made it to the media: Queen Mathilde: SDG

Thank you for posting the translated interview. I appreciate how it gives extensive descriptions of Queen Mathilde's experiences and points of view, especially the quotes below.

The answer starts with Mathilde's mother's family history. She describes Anne Komorowska as a Polish woman who fled the communist regime. Mother was a countess, but during those nomad years, that also briefly took her to Congo, she knew poverty and hunger. A trauma that never healed, and that was made clear from the absolute prohibition to spill or waste food in the d'Udekem d'Acoz household.

When she was 18, Mathilde frightened her parents with her holiday plans: she wanted to spend the summer months of 1991 in Cairo. She would go there on her own to work with a local NGO in the slums of the Egyptian capital. […] "That summer changed me and made me into the person I am today".

[…]

Because "the SDGs change the conversation about North & South, with changes needed in the South. Now we talk about an inclusive, universal story where all of us are responsable for the future we have in common. The 'developing world' becomes a real actor, and the business world is being asked to be responsable."

[…]

"I don't want to lock myself in negative thoughts. I prefer to focus on what's positive and realistic. The resilience of vulnerable people, their ability to rise time and time again, to find the strength to survive... that's what I admire."

To illustrate that indestructable life force she's talking about, Mathilde tells me the story of a 55-year old man she met recently: "His face was a reminder of the painful life he'd led. A crooked nose from a violent youth, with a father who had broken every bone in his son's face. He'd been left on the street in a coma. He grew into a thug and worse. He knew every juvenile court judge in the wider area. Untill one of those judges looked him straight in the eye and said: you've got the brains to get a degree. That one time where someone believed in him made all the difference. He told me: I existed in the eyes of someone. And yes, he got his degree and finally showed it to the judge to prove he was capable of it. Now he's married. With his wife he runs a youth shelter for kids with a difficult background."

[…]

When asked if she ever confronts the Belgian government with their inconsistent policies, or with the cuts they make in social security or development aid, the queen replies with a royal smile and similar diplomacy: "I'd rather put my energy into encouragement than into reproaches."

[HereditaryPrincess]

Lovely photos of the family. Elisabeth and Eleonore look really like each other in the first photo.
Laeken looks like a beautiful place to live. I bet the greenhouse is fun to explore!

[eya]

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited Monday 14 May, the De Warande , a meeting place for Flemings in Brussels on the occasion of the 30th anniversary

https://www.instagram.com/p/BizTcp5A...-by=de_warande
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi6B3wcD...0jaardewarande

[iceflower]

Here's another photo:


** dewarande: Het Koningspaar op bezoek! **

[Hannelore]

Philippe & Mathilde have been on a short break in Italy this week:

https://queenmathilde.blogspot.com/2...-holidays.html

[Ista]

Very happy to see all the bike helmets!

[eya]

A photoshoot for the summer of the Royal Family's vacation at the Villers Abbey in Villers-la-Ville, Sunday 24 June 2018.

Belga Image

Videos

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2018/06...eren-bezoeken/

Article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...-children.html

[iceflower]

.

Here are some more photos of the photosession:


** gettyimages gallery **


** weekend.levif.be gallery: La famille royale à l'abbaye de Villers-la-Ville (en images) **

[leidi]

Elisabeth looks so beautiful, so grown.
I love that she's wearing light makeup, nothing too excessive but it really enhances her features.
Their summer photoshoots are always so cute and they find beautiful places to do them.

[Hannelore]

Now that the children are bigger these photoshoots have turned into something more natural than the forced events they used to be. Emmanuel even making jokes that make the photographer laugh...

https://queenmathilde.blogspot.com/2...hoot-2018.html

[leidi]

Originally Posted by Hannelore

Now that the children are bigger these photoshoots have turned into something more natural than the forced events they used to be. Emmanuel even making jokes that make the photographer laugh...

https://queenmathilde.blogspot.com/2...hoot-2018.html

They have been taught well, their parents have exposed them enough for the children to be comfortable with the press/people but without compromising most of their freedom, they are not being hounded outside of school day-in/day-out.

Great balance

[Blog Real]

https://www.facebook.com/BeMonarchie...319630/?type=3

[HereditaryPrincess]

I really like the idea for this year's summer photoshoot. It's nice to see the family more relaxed and more themselves in a casual environment. Elisabeth is a pretty young lady (Gabriel looks a lot like his older sister IMO) and I love Eleonore's dress - I wouldn't mind an adult version for myself, actually!

[Moonmaiden23]

I love Elisabeth's outfit...casual but very chic.

[eya]

Official pictures of the Royal Family on the occassion of the 5 years in the Throne

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DiYRNjTX0AADBRi.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DiYRQgOX4AAUEqI.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DiYRTktXkAAwB3a.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DiYRWPcW4AEdxeD.jpg